Life saver buoy

ABSTRACT

A life saver buoy in the form of a ring has a peripheral groove directed toward a center of the ring for winding a life line there around and therein. The life line is fastened to the ring at one end thereof by passing the end into a bore. The bore is directed toward a center of the ring and the life line is fastened in the bore by way of a knot. The other end of the life line has a handle thereon which is fastened around the ring of the buoy by way of a strap when not in use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Life savers buoys are well known items in the aquatic environment. Theyare required items on boats and ships and are coded and controlled bythe Coast Guard. They are required items at swimming pools and are codedand controlled by local authorities such as a county or a city. Theknown buoys consist of a ring made of floatable material that cansupport an average sized adult. They have a center opening large enoughso that a head of a person can protrude there through. At the centerhole or on the outer periphery of the ring, there are gripping ropesattached so that they can be gripped by a person or several persons withthe ring providing flotation. The Coast Guard also requires that a longlife line be attached to the ring so that the life saver buoy can beretrieved and hauled back whenever a buoy has been tossed to a person inneed of rescue or once it hit its target, a helpless person can bepulled to safety. The Coast Guard requires this line to be at least 50′long. This line, in most instances creates a problem because it cannotbe tied into a bundle and stored because in an emergency, the line doesnot untangle easily and may not reach its intended target. Therefore,most lines lie around in a tangled heap or are stored or wound around ahook close to the buoy and in most instances is very unsightly and againmay not serve its intended purpose.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive buoy solves the above noted problems by simply winding thelife line around a periphery of the buoy in an orderly fashion and willeasily unwind therefrom when tossed or thrown in an emergency withoutever getting tangled up. This fact greatly contributes to the safety andthe enjoyment of water activities while swimming or boating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the life saving buoy;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional and perspective view of the buoy of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the top of the life saving buoy which is depicted at 1. Asis well known, all life saving buoys have a center aperture or openingwhich in FIG. 1 is not shown. The inner periphery of the buoy has fourequidistantly spaced depressions shown at 3. The depressions are usedfor placing a gripping rope 4 in their holes which are to be gripped bea person or persons in an emergency. As can be seen, the gripping ropeshave some slack in themselves so that they can be safely gripped andhandled. The outer periphery of the buoy 1 is indicated at 6. The outerperiphery 6 has an inwardly directed V-shaped groove 7 therein (moreclearly shown in FIG. 2). There is an inwardly directed bore 8 throughthe buoy which is enlarged at 9 at the inner periphery.

FIG. 2 shows the buoy 1 in a cross section and the inwardly directedgroove 7 can clearly be seen. As explained above, the groove 7 willreceive the life line 10 therein when it is wound therein in multipleturns. The depth of the groove 7 is such that it can accommodate alength of the life line of about 90′. The inner end 8 a of the life line10 is attached to the buoy by passing the end through the bore 8 andtying a knot 9 a therein which will be seated in the enlargement 9 sothat it cannot interfere with any activity involving the buoy. The otherend of the life line 10 receives a handle 11 (FIG. 1). The handle isshown as a box 11 with the knot 16 therein and a cover plate 12 coversthe box. As is well known, the handle stays with the person who threwthe buoy. When not in use and in storage, the handle 11 is tied aroundthe circumference of the buoy and fastened there around by of a strap13. The strap 13 has at an outer end 14 thereof one part of the loop andhook fastening system, known as VELCRO, and at the inner end 15 has theother part of the hook and loop fastener. The two parts 14 and 15 areused to fasten the handle tightly against the outer circumference of thebuoy and it is a very simple matter of undoing the ends of the strap 13in case of an emergency without having to fumble with any knots or otherentanglements.

1. A life saver buoy comprising a ring in combination with a life line,said ring having a central opening therein, said ring having an outerperiphery, said outer periphery having a groove therein, said groovebeing directed inwardly toward said central opening, said groove forminga receptacle for winding [a] said life line around said ring and intosaid groove.
 2. The life saver buoy of claim 1 including a bore directedinto said groove and toward said central opening, said bore having anenlargement at the inner periphery of said ring.
 3. The life saver buoyof claim 2, wherein one end of a life line is passed through said boreand a knot at [an] said one end of said life line is placed into saidenlargement.
 4. The life saver buoy of claim 1 including a handle at adistal end of said life line.
 5. The life saver buoy of claim 4, whereinsaid handle is of a box-like configuration containing a fastening knottherein.
 6. The life saver buoy of claim 4 including a strap forfastening said handle around and against said ring.
 7. The life saverbuoy of claim 6, wherein ends of said strap comprise hooks and loopsfasteners for fastening said ends to each other after having been placedaround said ring.